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About Janice Selbie, Religious Trauma Syndrome Recovery Coach Header

JANICE SELBIE, MPCC

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My passion is to help others who are experiencing the significant losses associated with religious de-conversion. We cannot mourn what we don't acknowledge. As we begin to understand our grief, we can look at building a healthy new secular life. 

- Janice Selbie, Master Practitioner Clinical Counsellor

Founder: Divorcing Religion, CORT, and Shameless Sexuality

Host: The Divorcing Religion Podcast

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Religion would have us starve to death at the buffet table of life. I want my clients to swap judgment for curiosity, and dig in!

Career Highlights:

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  • As founder and host of both The Conference on Religious Trauma (CORT) and the Shameless Sexuality: Life After Purity Culture conference, Janice is highly
    regarded by religious trauma experts Dr. Marlene Winell and Dr. Darrel Ray.

  • In addition to being a frequent podcast guest, Janice has also been a speaker at the Western Canadian Reason Conference, the Conference on Religious
    Trauma, and the Shameless Sexuality Conference.

  • Participant in the acclaimed Swedish documentary, Leaving Jesus (2024, Momento Films).

  • Experienced interviewer of well-known authors, psychologists, and atheist activists including Margaret Atwood, Seth Andrews, Matt Dillahunty, Sasha Sagan, and many more.

  • Author of the Amazon bestseller Divorcing Religion: A Memoir and Survival Handbook (Prominence Publishing, 2024).

About Divorcing Religion & Religious Trauma Syndrome

Her life story is one of incredible transformation, from the chilling realities of Margaret Atwood’s “Handmaid’s Tale” to modern renaissance woman, exploring life from the domestic to the erotic on her own terms.

 

Janice was born and raised in a charismatic Christian home, attending Pentecostal, Vineyard, and other Evangelical churches before eventually marrying a man who would become a pastor. In her 30s she became ultraconservative, donning a head-covering, homeschooling their children, and rejecting any vestiges of secular life (TV, radio, music, newspapers, magazines, etc.). “I referred to myself as ‘Mennocostal,’ frequently attending closed Mennonite churches run by the Holdeman Mennonites.”

 

It wasn’t until her 40s that Janice began experiencing doubts about her deeply held faith. As her marriage unraveled, her questions grew. She found herself wondering about the impact of religion and religious trauma syndrome on sexuality, gender roles and equality, social justice, and more.  

 

“Not permitted to explore these questions, I felt like a beach ball held beneath the water for too long. My sadness, confusion, and anger threatened to explode if something didn't change.”

 

After ending her decades-long marriage, Janice went back to school to attain her Diploma of Applied Psychology and Counselling. 

 

“My passion is to help others who are experiencing the multiple significant losses associated with religious de-conversion and religious trauma syndrome. My own journey could have been easier if I'd connected earlier on with even one other person who had walked away from their faith and built a healthy life afterward.” 

 

These painful experiences influenced Janice to develop the Divorcing Religion Workshop so that others could gain knowledge and tools to help with their own journey out of fundamentalist religions.  

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In the workshop, participants learn to:

 

  • Recognize the psychological and physiological symptoms associated with Religious Trauma Syndrome

  • Gain perspective about their journey

  • Build supportive new secular communities

  • Avoid being ensnared by other forms of fundamentalism in the future

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Find out more about the Divorcing Religion Workshop: 

Janice Selbie, Religious Trauma Syndrome Recovery Coach middle background

VISION

A world where those affected by religious trauma are supported, understood, and empowered to rebuild meaningful, self-directed lives.

MISSION

To help individuals recover from Religious Trauma Syndrome through education, support, and practical tools that foster autonomy, critical thinking, and psychological well-being.

VALUES

Courage
We name harm clearly and support people in confronting it safely.

Curiosity
We replace certainty with inquiry and encourage critical thinking.

Candor
We speak the truth without distortion, even when it challenges belief systems.

Respect
We protect autonomy and reject coercion in all forms.

JANICE SELBIE'S STORY

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